


Row 10, Seat A,B,C

by Blink23



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2699282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blink23/pseuds/Blink23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cute guy in seat A passes out and Toni takes it upon himself to take care of his just as cute daughter in seat B, much to the confusion of the flight crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Row 10, Seat A,B,C

**Author's Note:**

> This was a fill for the ficathon, but oddly enough the thing that inspired me was [this bee backpack](http://www.aliexpress.com/item/B20390/2041242370.html) (totally something any BvB fan would love, in my opinion) so I had to put it in.

Toni's seat was beside a toddler in a booster seat and her cute but exhausted looking father on his trip back to Madrid from London. The father shot him an apologetic look when he realized Toni was their seatmate, and Toni tried to smile back encouragingly, just to let him know it's okay. He pitied the guy, knowing how hard it is to travel with a child from his frequent trips back to Bremen to see his brother, and was sort of glad its him sitting next to him. He knew full well what it was like to have some asshole that will freak out if your kid got upset like some people do to Leon when he cried on flights, and how nice to was to have someone understanding next to him. The flight wasn't too long, anyway, so even if she did have problems it wouldn't be that bad.

Her Dad didn't have anything to worry about anyway. She was fine through the safety demonstration and take off, and Toni wanted to give the girl a high five for it, like he would Leon. He knew from Leon how easy it was to be fussy at take off, especially with his ears bothering him until they popped, but she stayed silent until the plane leveled out and the seatbelt sign went off, letting people get up and move.

“Papá?”

Toni glanced over, seeing that the girls father had fallen asleep.

“Papá, colors.”

She frowned, trying to poke him awake, and then reach for her own bag, unable to. Toni felt for the poor guy, deciding to intervene rather than have her wake him up. 

“You want me to get it?”

She nodded, gesturing to the bee shaped kids backpack shoved under the seat in front of her. Toni tugged it out and started going through it. There was one of those kid-safe tablet computers, a coloring book and some crayons, and a bunch of snacks and a an empty sippy cup. One the front, her name was printed in black ink over the Bee's yellow striped stomach.

“Salome... is that you?”

She giggled, shaking her head, “Salomé,” she repeated, pronouncing it the proper way and making Toni chuckle. He had only been living in Spain a few months and his Spanish was pretty terrible, so he didn't take offense to being corrected by a kid. He repeated it again, correctly this time, and she beamed at him, making him smile back.

“I'm Toni,” He said, taking her little hand to shake, “and I've very happy to meet you. Do you want your coloring book?”

She nodded and he pulled it out, setting her book down and the opening the crayons for her. He zipped up the backpack, looking at the smiling, stitched bee's face on the front.

“You know, my friend Marco would love this. You might have to tell me where you got it so I can get him one.”

She giggled, flipping to an empty page. She studied it for a moment before deciding this was the one she wanted and brandishing her box of crayons at Toni.

“You pick!”

He took the box and picked out a few colors to match the image of three bears and goldilocks on the page, setting them on the tray for her to use. She started scribbling away almost instantly and Toni set the box down on his own table, watching her work and forgetting the cheap paper back he had bought in the airport.

Once she was almost half way done with mama bear the drink cart rolled around. Toni asked for a coke for himself and retrieved the sippy cup from her bag.

“Salomé, do you want something?”

“Orange.”

“You want orange juice?”

“Uh-huh.”

He handed over her cup and the attendant filled it, setting it at her elbow.

“Does your husband want anything?”

“Oh, he's-”

“Papá sleeping. Shhh...” Salomé said, holding a finger to her lips. The woman smiled back at her.

“Okay. If Papá wants anything, just tell him or Daddy to press the call button.” She winked at Toni before moving on, preventing Toni from correcting her. 

Things calm down after that, and Toni finally did get his book out and started to read, Salomé only interrupting him once to ask for the crackers in her bag and ask which picture she wants her to draw for him after she finished with goldilocks.

Her father stirred about an hour into the flight, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He looked completely out of it for a second, looking at Toni like he had no idea how he got there, before he looked down at his daughter.

“What are you drawing, baby girl?” he asked, his voice sounding rough.

“For Toni.”

Salomé's father looked at her confused, “Who's Toni?”

“I am, actually,” Toni smiled, “And you are...?”

“James,” He provided, looking at Toni oddly.

“Press button, Papá.”

“Huh?”

“The flight attendant told her to press the button if you got thirsty once you woke up,” Toni explained.

“Oh, okay. Good.” He pressed the button, trying not to feel weird about this guy being so nice. Wasn't it protocol for everyone to ignore each other on planes?

“Ah, you're awake,” the same flight attendant from before smiled at James as she leaned over to turn his call button off, “Do you want anything?”

“Water would be great.”

she smiled again before going to the front of the plane and coming back with a tiny plastic bottle.

“I know this might be out of place,” she said, handing him his water and a plastic cup, “but you two have one of the best behaved kids. And I see a lot of kids come through.”

“Uh... thank you?” James said, looking at Toni completely confused and clearly not all that awake yet. She smiled at him again before moving on to the next person.

“What was that about?”

Toni could feel his face heating up as he looked at him, “I think I sort of gave her the impression we're married.”

“Wait, what? I didn't say one word to you when we boarded.”

“I mean, I've been watching her? Not in a weird way or anything, just in a making sure she's not bored way. So the flight attendant came before to bring us drinks and heard her call you Papá and assumed I was her other parent since I was getting her juice so now she thinks we're married.”

“Oh shi... oot. Shoot,” James looked apologetic, “I'm so sorry, I pass out on planes easily and I guess the last few days caught up with me, I didn't mean to stick you with my kid or anything-”

“Don't worry about it, it was fine.”

“Still, you shouldn't have to do anything, she's not your responsibility.”

“I had to get her her books and find her cup so she could have some juice. Really, it's no big deal.” 

“Are you sure?”

Toni waved him off, “She's been an angel. She's coloring me a picture now too, so it's not like I'm not getting any payment for it or anything.”

James flashed him a smile, and Toni felt himself go a bit soft at how it made his whole face light up, “well, her pictures are pretty great.”

“Toni look!”

Cinderella had dark brown scribbled hair and a big orange dress, while prince charming had bright yellow hair and a purple and red scribbled suit.

“Toni!” she said, pointing to the prince.

“I'm the prince, huh? Is the princess Salomé?”

“Uh-huh,” She beamed at him, “Daddy rip now?”

“You done with your book baby girl?” James asked, and she nodded, and James took the book from her, ripping the page out carefully as Toni got her bag to deposit the crayons and book back in.

“Puter now!”

Toni chuckled, getting her tablet out and setting it on the tray, helping her flip up the folding stand. Salomé tugged the headphones on her head and tapped the screen a few times before a movie started up.

“You're good with kids, you know.”

Toni shrugged, “I have a son, so...”

“Oh?” James tried to stop the slight disappointment that creeped in at the thought of this cute guy who clearly liked his kid being straight, “where is he? At home with his mother?”

Toni winced, and James immediately felt like an asshole. “I shouldn't pry-”

“No it's fine. He's with friends back in Madrid. There just... is no mother, really. She just wasn't into the motherhood thing, and I wasn't into the whole pretending to be a happy completely straight male to please my parents thing... so we picked up and moved the Spain, and she stayed in Germany.”

James chuckled, “So we're in the same single gay dad boat then?”

Toni's stomach didn't flip. He was not that pathetic, no matter what Cris thought.

“Along with oversharing with strangers about our sexuality, apparently.”

“Ah well, if you've got it flaunt it or something?”

“I don't think it works that way,” Toni laughed, settling back in his seat a little. James was cute, and easy to talk to. His book was left open on his tray table as they talked for the rest of the flight, first talking about why exactly they were both in Madrid and not their native countries, and then James asking about Leon (which, of course, lead to Toni whipping out his phone and James cooing over pictures of the almost one year old.) Then it shifts over stupid things, like why they were both in London (Toni covering the Champions League match against Chelsea for work, and James to visit his friends) and football (James feels like praying to God in thanks when this cute German boy admits that he's a Madridista, proving that he is flawless as far as James can tell.) Soon enough it's time for them to prepare to land and they had to convince Salomé to pause Monsters Inc. and put away her tablet, which she reluctantly handed to Toni to store in the bag now at his feet.

“You forgot a crayon and your drawing,” James said, handing him the folded drawing and a red crayon. Toni slipped it in his unread book before sliding it in his own bag, and her crayon in Salomé's backpacks side pocket.

Salomé insists on holding Toni's hand when they deplane, telling her dad that it's her new friend. Toni insists it's okay and James is grateful, since he has to juggle carrying her seat and his carry on. James also doesn't have to look for any way to keep Toni around this way, so accepts easily and James follows the both of them down to baggage claim, Toni holding Salomé's hand even while they wait for their bags to come.

A fairly large bright yellow suitcase rolls past them seconds after the belt starts up and James grabs it, setting it down next to his daughter.

“Okay. So,” James paused, looking at Toni, before he looked down at Salomé, “Say bye-bye to Toni, okay?”

Salomé pouted a little but reached over to wrap her arms around Toni's legs, hugging him tightly, “bye-bye Toni.”

“Bye-bye liebling,” he murmured, rubbing her back. She giggled at the pet name that was surely silly sounding to her as she pulled away, waving at him as she and James walked down and out of baggage claim, hand in hand, leaving Toni alone and disappointed in himself. 

 

Toni stops by his flat quick to unpack his things before going to Cris and Kaká's place to pick up Leon, excited to see his son after a long few days working in London.

He dumped all his clothes in his hamper in his room and shoved his suitcase under his bed before going for his backpack to clear out his things. He placed his laptop on the coffee table before he dumped out the remaining contents of his bag on the couch, sorting through the mess. The drawing Salomé did for him falls out if the book and he picks it up, flattening it with his hands. There's a mark on the back that's showing through and he flips it over, wondering what it is. 

_Just incase I don't get up the nerve to do this before you leave. Hopefully you don't throw this out._

_James._

Underneath was a phone number, and Toni grined as he got up, going to retrieve his phone from where it was charging in the kitchen.

_Using your daughter's drawings to pick up guys? How does that work for you? And I would never throw this masterpiece out duh_

Toni only had to wait a few seconds before he phone beeped in his hand.

_It's clearly working well. I figured this would be my best bet to get you to at least have coffee or something with me. and if you were taken then you'd just be flattered or w/e and I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of my kid_

_definitely not taken. Coffee actually sounds great. Maybe tmrw? I took it off_

_11 work? I don't have to work either and Salome would love to see you I'm sure_

_i'll have Leon then. Would she like to meet a new friend?_

_She would love it I'm sure. We can meet up for coffee and then go to the park with the kids?_

_perfect. I'll text you the place..._

_Oh, that's like 5 mins from her nursery! I know exactly where it is. See you then_

Toni could help but grin, resting his phone on the countertop before hanging Salomé's drawing on the fridge, next to Leon's latest masterpiece.


End file.
